Saturday, December 30, 2006

Grandma Sally's Cinnamon Rolls

Erin's mom, Christmas morning: "Not until everyone has a cinnamon roll and the adults have their coffee."

Luckily, my Grandma Sally's cinnamon rolls are so good, my sister and I almost didn't mind having to eat one before we could open presents on Christmas morning. Almost.

Now, we're the last ones out of bed on December 25, and often more excited about the presents we're giving rather than getting (J says: not true). Even better, this is the second year that my sister and I have helped my Grandma make the cinnamon rolls, and I think I'm ready to attempt a batch on my own.

Like most grandma-perfected baked goods, exact measurements are difficult to ascertain. Use the recipe below as a general guide, but feel free to experiment. Serve warm with butter.

Grandma Sally's Cinnamon Rolls

¼ c sugar2 tbsp shortening4 t salt4 c warm water1 pkg yeast

12-14 c flour1 stick butter, softenedbrown sugarcinnamon

2 9x12 cake pans, greased

Place sugar, shortening and salt in medium bowl. Add warm water, then stir in yeast. Mix well until yeast is dissolved, shortening will remain lumpy.

Sift 10 cups of flour into large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture. Stir well until all flour is incorporated.

Sift approximately 2 cups flour onto clean counter. Turn out dough onto sifted flour. With floured hands, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If the dough's too sticky, add some more flour. Lightly grease large bowl that flour was in, and return dough to that bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down with your fist, and let rise again for about 1 hour.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface, and roll out into a large rectangle, approximately 1/4 inch thick.

These look great! My wife's family ahs been doing cin-rolls for years also. What I appreciate the most about this post though is the picture of your grandma's hands. If she is anything like my grandma was, she is probably a little self-conscious about her knuckles/arthritis (hopefully not) To me these are beautiful hands, displaying years of loving use, producing nourishment and treats for the progeny. It brought a tear to my eye seeing them and thinking about my grandma and nana. Thank you.